Ministry plans to recruit 15,000 nurses by 2007

COLOMBO: The Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry has planned to recruit 15,000 nurses by 2007 before handing over the administration of 14 Nursing Training Schools to Universities, said Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva. The Minister was speaking at the opening of the Kandy Nurses Training School hostel.

The recruitment will be made from among those passed the GCE Advanced Level Examination in 2003 and 2004 in the Science stream, the Minister said.

The Minister said 10,000 nurses were to be recruited under this programme in 2005 and 2006 at a 5,000 annual rate but only 7,000 had been recruited.

Arrangements have now been made to recruit the balance 8,000 next year. Failure to achieve the 10,000 target was caused by the reluctance of those passed in the science stream to join as nurses.

The Ministry will recruit those passed in the Arts stream to overcome this problem and will provide a training in science subjects on Saturdays.

Once 15,000 nurses are recruited, the administration of the 14 Training Schools will be handed over to universities to conduct nursing degrees and thereafter only nursing graduates would be recruited to the nursing profession.